28.2.05

Here's to better days

Just as I think my leg and back may be on the mend - obviating the need for further medical intervention - I am back to square one. I think that perhaps the way that I am constantly lulled into the belief that I am getting better is what is worst about all of this. I start to feel fine, then all of a sudden I am in agony. It comes on so quickly and without warning that all I can do is lie on the floor and wait for it to ease. I am already taking the maximum dosage of the medication, so no further relief can be expected from that quarter. I suppose all I can do now is wait and see if there will be an improvement before my next doctor's appointment on 11 March. I am trying hard to stay cheerful and optimistic, but it is getting ever more difficult with the passing of time. I am constantly reminded of how debilitated I am: I can't drive and I can't go for walks. For the past four weeks, my days out (and my only exercise), have consisted in taking the bus to the supermarket, and having a coffee in the cafe there. I look out of my kitchen window and I see Auchterhouse Hill standing there taunting me. I look out of the living-room window, and Craigowl Hill is laughing at me. I have spent most of today (when not lying on the floor) sitting at my computer writing letters to my clients explaining my situation and asking for their patience and understanding. A couple have already said that they are quite content to give me more time: as for the others... well, we'll just have to wait and see. With all of this on my mind, I have not had a chance to even look at my cameras, let alone pick them up. So, instead I leave you with an image I captured last June when I took Liam and his best friend, Joe, to Edinburgh for the day. I did the post-processing today, so I suppose it qualifies on that count. Here's to a better March.